How Are We Doing?
When was the last time we asked ourselves the pertinent question, how are we doing? If you are like me the answer would be, it has been a long time! Self-assessment is a valuable tool for improvement. We have to take self-inventory periodically to stay on top of what is needed in our daily walk as Christians. We are advised in the Scripture to count the cost of building, to be aware of what is involved in the life of the believer. Jesus said to us who wish to follow Him “to deny ourselves daily, and to take up our cross and follow.” This sounds pretty simple, but is it really, and do we do that?
Here is what I believe to be a cardinal rule for following Jesus. The first step is to acknowledge the sinful state we are in. This unhappy, unfulfilled, purposeless kind of life is just going nowhere. Existing is not enough, so we need a purpose and a goal not only for this brief time on earth but for more than that. So Jesus offers us the choice to accept Him as our Lord and Savior and begin a life of purpose, and to have a goal for here and eternity. We can make the choice to accept Him and dedicate our lives for His service.
So when we are born again, it is just that. Someone who is born anew needs certain nourishments for survival and growth. This is a simple matter to understand, is it not? You have seen the same pictures as I have on television of starving African children, dying of malnutrition. The sad truth is that most Christians today are dying spiritually of malnutrition; they are not feeding on a good dose of healthy food daily. I believe the churches (Christian Assemblies) are to be blamed for not providing food for the parishioners to meet the minimum weekly requirements according to Biblical prescription standards, not the FDA standards! There is too much for the pastors to worry about; their salary and benefits, the retirement package, the amount of the offering and the building fund. You would think it is a business!
If new and old Christians cannot find the healthy food on their own, they should go to the person who led them to Christ and ask for help finding the needed food. So the daily assessment in our lives is this: Do we know a little more about the Christian life today more than we did yesterday? Do we know more about Jesus; do we know more of His word? These are the questions we need to ask, and if the answer is not satisfactory, then we have to do better starting now. I tell you that it is our responsibility to take care of our own lives and take control of our destiny.
The first church I attended as a born again Christian was only about 150 members; what a church it was! Everybody was friendly and caring, interested in a spiritual walk, most of them attended a middle of the week Bible study and Sunday school before church service regularly. Then the Devil got into some newcomers who wanted the church to expand, and we did. That was the beginning of the end. We grew to three thousand members. I was the only one who went around on Sundays and shook hands with parishioners. There was no time for the simple fellowship we used to have. The number game became the important goal. The church got into so many problems under the control of an evil woman, who ended up selling the church to builders. It is now an apartment complex.
If we asked ourselves how we are doing on regular basis, we could have avoided this disaster. This why Jesus said that it is important to catch our wrong doing as soon as possible. There is no other way to live the abundant life other than to follow the Master’s footsteps and obey His commandments.
There has to be victories in the life of the Christians on a regular basis. If this is not so, something is seriously wrong. The life of the believer has to be full of miracles daily. It is an exciting and abundant life. This last week the enemy of good tried to defeat me in one of his tricky ways, and I nearly forgot that I am a believer and that the Lord is on my side. Like Nehemiah said; “We get up and build and God will give us the victory.” Thank Christ I knew this verse and that I remembered to stand on this very promise. I tell you that we are sheep in the midst of wolves, so beware! Study God’s word and memorize it. The Psalmist said “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against Thee.” How are we doing? May the answers be extremely well! Thank Christ!
Here is what I believe to be a cardinal rule for following Jesus. The first step is to acknowledge the sinful state we are in. This unhappy, unfulfilled, purposeless kind of life is just going nowhere. Existing is not enough, so we need a purpose and a goal not only for this brief time on earth but for more than that. So Jesus offers us the choice to accept Him as our Lord and Savior and begin a life of purpose, and to have a goal for here and eternity. We can make the choice to accept Him and dedicate our lives for His service.
So when we are born again, it is just that. Someone who is born anew needs certain nourishments for survival and growth. This is a simple matter to understand, is it not? You have seen the same pictures as I have on television of starving African children, dying of malnutrition. The sad truth is that most Christians today are dying spiritually of malnutrition; they are not feeding on a good dose of healthy food daily. I believe the churches (Christian Assemblies) are to be blamed for not providing food for the parishioners to meet the minimum weekly requirements according to Biblical prescription standards, not the FDA standards! There is too much for the pastors to worry about; their salary and benefits, the retirement package, the amount of the offering and the building fund. You would think it is a business!
If new and old Christians cannot find the healthy food on their own, they should go to the person who led them to Christ and ask for help finding the needed food. So the daily assessment in our lives is this: Do we know a little more about the Christian life today more than we did yesterday? Do we know more about Jesus; do we know more of His word? These are the questions we need to ask, and if the answer is not satisfactory, then we have to do better starting now. I tell you that it is our responsibility to take care of our own lives and take control of our destiny.
The first church I attended as a born again Christian was only about 150 members; what a church it was! Everybody was friendly and caring, interested in a spiritual walk, most of them attended a middle of the week Bible study and Sunday school before church service regularly. Then the Devil got into some newcomers who wanted the church to expand, and we did. That was the beginning of the end. We grew to three thousand members. I was the only one who went around on Sundays and shook hands with parishioners. There was no time for the simple fellowship we used to have. The number game became the important goal. The church got into so many problems under the control of an evil woman, who ended up selling the church to builders. It is now an apartment complex.
If we asked ourselves how we are doing on regular basis, we could have avoided this disaster. This why Jesus said that it is important to catch our wrong doing as soon as possible. There is no other way to live the abundant life other than to follow the Master’s footsteps and obey His commandments.
There has to be victories in the life of the Christians on a regular basis. If this is not so, something is seriously wrong. The life of the believer has to be full of miracles daily. It is an exciting and abundant life. This last week the enemy of good tried to defeat me in one of his tricky ways, and I nearly forgot that I am a believer and that the Lord is on my side. Like Nehemiah said; “We get up and build and God will give us the victory.” Thank Christ I knew this verse and that I remembered to stand on this very promise. I tell you that we are sheep in the midst of wolves, so beware! Study God’s word and memorize it. The Psalmist said “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against Thee.” How are we doing? May the answers be extremely well! Thank Christ!
posted by Rev. Alfred Batarse, PhD. | 12:37 PM
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